St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-22
SAW 4 SEA SERPENT.
Excitement at NIinnetonka Over
the Sight Of Marine Monster.


the Sight OF "a Marine Monster.
The lOng-loOked-fOr and the much
expected has come at last and the sue
cess of Lake Minnetonka is assured.
Hotel Lafayette will at once double its
size and Lake Park accommodations will
be increased four-fold. The shores of
the beautiful Northwestern Como are in
a state of excitement not to be de-
Scribed. and yesterdays trains were
loaded down with ecstatic and
bewildered proprietorS of boarding
houses, owners of lots for sale and les
sees of mOney-making schemes of every
description, all hurrying out toward
Breezy Point to drink III the full details
of the joyful and astounding news. On
the platform at WayZatta a large crowd
had gathered,and the eyes of hundred
people were directed across the shining
waters OF the bay. following the line
pointed out by the arm and long fore
finger of Col. Plat 3. Walker. who
doomed above the crowd, and on whose
lips the rest hung fascinated.
The sea serpent. The sea serpentw
was on the tongue of every new arrival
as he rushed in GREATNESS eagerness to
the spot where Col. Walker was giving
the first graphic account of the appear
ance OF huge monster. early yesterday
morning, somewhere between Breezy
Point and the Hotel st. Louis. The col
Onel had been making SoundingS in the
lake, in the interest OF navigation, when
suddenly he heard a loud WhiS-S-S-h-h-h
that swept over the smooth face of
the water with hOrrid information.
AT first he thought it was a cyclone, es-
pecially as the air had grown suddenly
haf OI,I tI,g InI
taken on a lurid, coppery hue, but when
he looked up the sounding line dropped
from his palsied hand, and he fell back
into his boat perfectly unable to move,
for there, not 100 feet distant,
was a fearful monster, hOrrid
serpent, with a head like a horned
frog and long forked tongue playing
between eyes that cleaned like ball
fires; its hot, fetid breath swept out
like the whitening blast of simeon,
and the water seemed to boil with the
velocity of its approach. Col. Walker
got but one glimpse OF it, for when he
regalned his perpendicular. the thing
had disappeared.
THE MINNETONKA MONSTER.
Col. Walkers story was doubted by
many until complete verifcation came
from other sources. J. y. Mind came
over from CottagewoOd, brim full of
horror and excitement, but refused to
do more than confirm the story, as he had
received an order from the New York
papers for all he could send, and he was
afraid some one would get in ahead of
him. George A. Bracket had got
glimpse Of the monster, and thinking it
ETaS some new kind of sailing vessel had
crowded all sail on the Ida and borne
Gown on the stranger with a challenge:
gut suddenly the huge reptile turned
and presented ali aspect 50 horrible that
the mainSail Of the Ida reefed of its own
accord. The beast then dived and dis
appeared. Maj. George \. Camp saw
1t trying TO 90 through the narroWs, but
the effort was dismal failure. though
the major did not know it, as he could
only. gasp family to those who reSuSci-
tated him:
.'Jumpin' jingOcs. I've got 'em!'
Harlow Gale had just come over to
Excelsior from BrightwOod, and. meet
Ing DR.. Shaw on the dock, was about to
tell him story about the mule and the
hustle, when his eye was caught by the
sight of the huge horror. He grasped
Shaw's shoulder, and with white lips
murmured: Look! only look" DR..
Shaw turned in time to see the head dis
appear in the waters of Gideon's bay,
the tail following and leaving a
long phOSphOrescent train in its wake.
Il. }. Phelps had gone to NOrthwood to
prospect for the summer and overhaul
the Princess, when ne heard a roaring
over the waters and turned just in sea
son to see, as he afterwards described
1t, the serpent plunging into the
depths, with its tail standing up in the
air as high and as thick as the main
mast of man-of-war." A. S. Dimond
had the best view of the aquatic wonder,
but his sensations could not be learned
as he had Immediately locked himself in
his Office and was "a work Oh vivid ac-
count to appear in the next number of
the Tourist.
! There were others who had had
glimpses of the sea serpent and
their fear and excitement had
magnifed it hundred fold,
so that when GLOBE reporter arrived
at WayZatta yesterday morning his ears
were filled with the marvellous stories.
Dozens of boating parties skirted the
and timorously looking for the
Mortified spectacle to be re-
ported, but the marine monster had
evidently taken fright and failed to re-
appear. But The news had circulated
rapidly and the crowds continued to in
crease, but not one of the many was re-
warded by sight of the Minnetonka
sea serpent
However, the advertisement will do
its own good work, and if the season at
the lake is not Success, the sea serpent
will not be to blame.
CLUBRER,S DILEMMA.